Pill villagers 'left stranded' after emergency work shuts road
RESIDENTS in Pill say they have been left stranded after the main road through the village was closed for a week so drains can be repaired.
North Somerset Council closed the main Heywood Road through the village from Springfield Road to the King's Head on Wednesday morning.
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Councillors Donald Davies and Arthur Taylor in Pill where the bus route is suspended Picture: Dan Regan BRDR20120613C002_C
Engineers had been carrying out work to the drains in the centre of the village and had set up temporary signals to control the traffic.
But after discovering the problem was more serious than first thought, the authority took the decision to close the road for up to seven days to allow engineers to resolve the issue.
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Notices went up on bus stops on Tuesday night warning residents of the impending closure.
The closure has meant the 358 and 359 buses cannot get to the village, forcing residents – many who are elderly – to walk a mile and a half to catch a bus on the A369.
Pill councillor Donald Davies said he had received numerous complaints about the sudden closure and was asking North Somerset Council to provide a shuttle bus from the village to take residents to the nearest bus stop.
Mr Davies said: "To leave the village without a bus service is ridiculous. Notices were put up on the bus stops on Tuesday night and the closure came into force on Wednesday morning.
"The road closed from 9.30am on Wednesday so the people going to work will now have to walk from the A369 back into the village.
"A lot of people in the village, particularly the elderly, rely on the buses to get into Bristol and Portishead.
"I had one lady knock on my door late on Tuesday night worried that she had to go to Bristol to see her husband in hospital and was concerned she would be unable to get there.
"I have asked North Somerset to provide some sort of shuttle bus to get people to the operational bus stops but have been told there is no money available to fund this.
"Essentially by closing the road and preventing the buses from running it has cut the village off and left people stranded."
This is not the first time villagers have found themselves stranded and being forced to walk miles to catch a bus. The main road through Pill has had to be closed several times during severe winter weather, preventing buses from accessing the village.
North Somerset Council spokesman Nick Yates said: "This is emergency work. There are two parts of the road which need resurfacing as well. We are sorry for the inconvenience this is causing but we do need to carry out this work now."
A spokesman for First said: "Services 358/359 will be unable to serve Pill from 9.30 on June 13 for seven days due to emergency drainage works. The works will close Heywood Road and due to the lack of a suitable alternative route for buses, services will be unable to serve Pill and will instead operate directly along Martcombe Road. All stops on the diversion route will be observed."
Comments
by Rigsby_nation
Friday, June 15 2012, 3:23PM
“Walk miles to have decent running water and drainage. Yeah I think I could handle that for a little bit for the greater good. Moaning villagers”
by avonside40
Friday, June 15 2012, 9:02AM
“All a bit of a storm in a teacup, though, when you consider that I went home last night (Thursday 14th) and the buses were running and there aren't even any traffic lights any more - all the work is finished.”
by avonside40
Thursday, June 14 2012, 3:53PM
“I live in Pill and I cycle to work in Bristol. There were temporary traffic lights on Heywood Road hill for a couple of days with a small piece of tarmac on the road apparently disturbed (I never saw any actual workmen during the times I go past, but that's before 8 am and after 6 pm).
I'd seen the "Road closed" sign last night, but had assumed it had been left over from Church Path Road being closed for the Jubilee last week since it was just leaning up against a wall (not, actually across the road or anything).
First do have a tendency to stop buses running through Pill at the drop of a hat (and I'm sure they would love to make that permanent if they could) but this sounds more like the council didn't feel the need to actually tell anyone before cutting the village in half...!
It's all made worse by the fact that access all the way through Pill only re-opened last week after being closed for three weeks whilst the glorious new tarmac (seriously! no sarcasm there - its beautiful!) was laid through Easton-in-Gordano (but the council did lay on shuttle buses during that time).”
by katachua
Thursday, June 14 2012, 12:23PM
“@FromMendip
That sounds like par for the course. Anybody else would have had to park in a side street, but the Council makes its own rules.”
by FromMendip
Thursday, June 14 2012, 12:06PM
“I'm surprised that the Post hasn't cottoned onto the chaotic scenes in Whiteladies Road yesterday.
The council's contractors took possession of a short piece of the inbound carriageway at the junction of Apsley Road (itself already restricted to access only) to park their vehicles. Traffic was controlled by temporary lights (right next to pedestrian lights that weren't in sync with the temporary lights) causing long queues along Whiteladies Road in both directions (as far as the BBC and the Downs respectively).
The bus I was on took nearly 20 minutes to travel from the BBC to the foot of Blackboy Hill.
And the reason for bringing this part of the city to a near standstill for several hours? Work on one of the small flower beds that the council decided to put along the middle of that busy thoroughfare.”
by highonhelium
Thursday, June 14 2012, 12:05PM
“I use this road and observed a big yellow sign stating that the road would be closed, this was in place two weeks before the road was closed. If the road is closed then of course a bus can't travel along it. Repairs have been carried out for the benefit of residents. If you don't like it move to an area with more facilities for the older generation, we all have to make sacrifices in life. Yes it was an inconvience but I planned ahead and everybody in the village was talking about it and notifying others.”
by katachua
Thursday, June 14 2012, 10:59AM
“Pity the railway hasn't been reopened, isn't it?”
by Joke_Bristol
Thursday, June 14 2012, 10:13AM
“It's bad enough that there are only two buses an hour from Bristol to Pill and even worse that it is £6 (six pounds!) for a return ticket. In th end I have had to start cycling in eight miles each way along the river to avoid this appalling service.
The public transport in this city is a disgrace.”